FORT WORTH, Texas — David Toms has gone from a disappointing playoff loss to matching the PGA Tour scoring record for the first 36 holes of a tournament.
Toms shot his second consecutive 8-under-par 62 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational to open a seven-stroke lead at Colonial on Friday.
Coming off a playoff loss Sunday to K.J. Choi in The Players Championship, the 44-year-old Toms tied the mark of 124 set by Pat Perez in the 2009 Bob Hope Classic. Perez had rounds of 61 and 63.
“I just went out and played great the last eight holes or so, some of the best golf I’ve played in a long time,” Toms said.
Steven Bowditch (64), Charlie Wi (67), Mark Wilson (66) and John Senden (66) share second.
• Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will meet in the final 16 at the World Match Play Championship today in Casares, Spain.
“It’s definitely going to be the Northern Ireland Match Play Championship,” McDowell said.
• Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie headlined six Americans advancing to the final 16 in the Sybase Match Play Championships in Gladstone, N.J.
Pro players’ unions back NFL
MINNEAPOLIS — The unions for hockey, baseball and basketball are siding with the players in the NFL lockout court battle, saying the league’s lockout should be lifted.
The players associations for MLB, the NHL and the NBA filed a brief with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying the case presents “vitally important issues” for the unions and their members. The players’ associations say professional athletes’ careers are short, and the loss of even part of a season causes personal and professional injuries that can’t be compensated.
Also, a nonprofit group that has been fighting sport work stoppages filed a brief saying the lockout should be lifted. The Sports Fans Coalition said the lockout is not in the best interest of fans who pay billions of dollars to see their teams perform.
Busch passes Bowyer for win
CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Busch recovered from an early spin to pass Clint Bowyer with seven laps to go and pulled away to win his third consecutive Trucks Series race.
Hours after capturing the pole for tonight’s all-star race, Busch outdueled a fellow Sprint Cup regular down the stretch to earn his 97th victory in NASCAR’s top three circuits.
“That Kyle Busch is a pain in everybody’s butt, isn’t he?” Bowyer said, smiling. “He’s pretty good.”
• Seven-time top fuel champion Tony Schumacher topped qualifying in the NHRA Summer Nationals with a 3.798-second run at a track-record 324.12 mph in Topeka, Kan. Jack Beckman (funny car) and Mike Edwards (pro stock) led their respective events.
Footnotes.
The national champion Connecticut men’s basketball program will lose two scholarships for the upcoming season as a result of a poor Academic Performance Rating from the NCAA.
• Margo Dydek, the No. 1 pick in the 1998 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz, suffered a heart attack and is in a medically induced coma in a hospital in Brisbane, Australia.
